Climate Science Legal Defense Fund Hires New Executive Director

“After years of attacks, I am thrilled that there is a world class litigator whose full time job is to stand up for scientists.” –Dr. Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Penn State

Lauren Kurtz

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund is excited to announce the hiring of Lauren Kurtz as its first Executive Director. Lauren Kurtz is joining CSLDF from Dechert LLP, a top tier law firm where she was a litigator. There she served as project manager on a high-profile $3 billion litigation initiative and she represented commercial and individual clients on cases involving FOIA requests and litigation over FOIA requests, discovery disputes, and defamation claims. Prior to working at Dechert, she held legal and policy positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a master’s in Environmental Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Kurtz was hired by the board of directors after a widely publicized summer fundraising campaign to grow CSLDF from an all-volunteer organization to one with a full time professional staff. CSLDF was started to help scientists cope with the barrage of politically motivated attacks. Early successes included a victory for Dr. Michael Mann at the Virginia Supreme Court, legal clinics at major scientific conferences and a legal education campaign.

Ms. Kurtz will be based in NYC working in an office generously provided by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at the Columbia Law School.

4 Responses

Any “science” that needs to hire lawyers because it cannot handle the slightest criticism isn’t science, but dogma. What reputable scientist would ever have to sue critics? A good scientist invites criticism and scrutiny and stands by their results. And they would swat away an general claim that their findings are bogus like so many gnats. Ah but there is money and politics involved.

I know we all want to save the world (millenialism lite) but this is silliness. Mann has done more damage to his reputation than any media critic possibly could. When you behave like you have something to hide, you probably do. It makes no difference how a court rules. People won’t care.

Congratulations to the world class litigator being hied to defend a temper tantrum.